Seven for a Secret
by guani
Summary: Chapter 2 is up! Voldemort's cracked, the most powerful wizards of the generation have inherited their full power, and no one except Dumbledore has any idea what might really be going on. now rated for language, violence, and rape. not HD
1. Choices

Do I need to place this under an M rating? I don't think so, but you guys might feel otherwise. Please tell me.

* * *

Alright, I warn you, this is my first fanfic and it will get AU and OOC in some places. Future slash. Way too far in the future really. Sorry guys, it won't be Harry/Draco this time around. 

Flames, critiques, and praise welcome (how else do you write better?)  
WARNING – I am an American, and know next to nothing about British customs and language usage.  
Thanks to Alise Devay for motivating me to get an account.  
None of the characters or standard locations are mine, though that would be nice. They belong to J. K. Rowling.

Would anyone be able to tell me the real birthdays of the trio and Draco?

_italics_ - thoughts  
"…" - speech  
**bold** - spells/incantations or stressed words  
/…/ - sounds/motions

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**SEVEN FOR A SECRET**

One for sorrow,  
Two for joy,  
Three for a girl,  
Four for a boy,  
Five for silver,  
Six for gold,  
Seven for a secret  
Never to be told.

-Old English rhyme

I must not fear.  
Fear is the mind-killer.  
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.  
I will face my fear.  
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.  
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.  
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.  
Only I will remain.

-Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear (Dune series by Frank Herbert)

* * *

Set after their fourth year… 

**Choices **

**

* * *

**

"…Draco, the meeting will begin shortly," said an oddly edgy Lucius Malfoy. Of course, if you didn't live with the man, you wouldn't have guessed there was anything behind the cool façade of a Malfoy.

"Yes father. Is anything the matter?"

"No."

A heavy silence fell between the two as both checked their black robes and Lucius donned the mask of a Death Eater.

"What is this trip really for?" asked Draco, puncturing the noiseless atmosphere that clouded the rich and elegant parlor in which they sat. Still in the Manor of course.

"You will find out," was all the answer he could dredge from his father.

Surprising to nearly everone, Lucius Malfoy's service to Voldemort wasn't entirely whole hearted. He agreed with the ideas, not the exact methods. And aside from that slight irritation, his family pride and dignity was dragged through the mud every time he visited his "master".

Why join Voldemort in the first place then? Oh, there was that whole ultimate power deal, and the fact that his reign would take care of that extremely bothersome influx of mudbloods and half-bloods that had been taking hold of the wizarding world. A bonus was the obvious interest in dark arts which Lucius enjoyed immensely, and the return to more traditional ways of wizarding life (backstabbing houses, family feuds, ancient alliances…well, not **that** far back, but one can dream) in which blood lines were of the utmost importance. Besides, the black robes were fairly elegant in that creepy evil menace kind of way. Black is…just like that.

He hadn't become a spy like Snape, feeling untrustingly towards the doddering old fool known as Dumbledore. Of course he knew about it their arrangement, but he kept his silence. More precious information that could be used in whatever situation the war landed him in.

"…Will I be initiated tonight?" Draco asked, voice schooled into blankness.

"No. Not tonight."

The deep ringing tones of the ornate grandfather clock in the hall signaled midnight, and the two men apparated off to the abandoned house that Voldemort had called them to.

* * *

"Ever faithful are you Lucius," said a disembodied voice as the two Malfoys cracked into existence by the ramshackle house. 

"Master," said Lucius, bowing low before entering the house. It wasn't standard procedure, but one could never be too careful around Voldemort.

Draco followed the senior Malfoy's lead, and bowed as he entered, emanating his father.

"Welcome Draco."

And with that, the door swung shut with a snap that echoed in the stale air. No other noise could be heard in the house. Nagini had probably killed or driven off all manner of living things, but there was no sign of other death eaters.

_Odd…  
_"Draco," Lucius said quietly, voice warning against doing anything that would put a bad light on the Malfoy name.

"Father," Draco replied, his tone hinting that he had heard the intent and would let his father do as much of the talking as was possible.  
_Is he that nervous? It can't possibly be that bad. Potter's been bumping into him since first year, so this should be no challenge._

And with a jerk of realization, there he was, facing the Dark Lord on his dark throne, and felt disgust and a dusting of fear slide over what might have been his soul. A face twisted by hatred and power, a body stitched together from the dredges of hell. This was no great power.

It was nothing he could name, but Draco was now on a heightened alert around this fallen monument of rotting ideals.

"Greetings Lord," said Lucius, bowing once again. "What is it you needed of me?"

"Actually, I'd like to discuss that with Draco."

Lucius bowed and stepped back, a hint of steel in the eyes hidden by the movement.

"Yes Lord?" Draco said, glad his voice was empty of emotion. He could not risk anything yet.

"You will be of great power Draco. Your breeding was none but the best, and despite the education of that old fool, you are still here before me."

"Yes Lord."  
_I sound like a machine._

"Thus, I have decided to induct you ahead of your peers."

_WHAT! (The same thought was echoed by his father.)  
_"Thank you Lord. I am speechless at the honor," his voice said automatically as his mind struggled to catch up. "There are many others with the same…qualifications as I have. May I ask why I am to be distinguished?"

"Do you not agree with my decision?" he asked ever so softly.

"I only wished to know what you would judge me by in the future."  
_Shit, need to watch that. Will, not would._

"Of course, but first I must set a test of your loyalty," he said, smiling grimly as Wormtail struggled in the flickering shadows with what looked like a little girl, perhaps seven by her size. "This is your test Draco."

"I don't understand my Lord," his voice calm only because of the Malfoy training his father had insisted upon, and for which he was very thankful at the moment.  
_This isn't good. This is actually **very **bad._

"I want you to kill her Draco. Torture her. Do anything that you please, as long as she dies by your hand," he hissed, stepping over to the girl and tracing her face with his fingertips.

The girl screamed into the gag that was tied around her mouth, lashing out at Wormtail as he struggled to hold her still. Her hair fell back to reveal fearful hazel eyes, bloodshot from either lack of sleep or one of the various curses Voldemort must have employed. Gashes caked over with blood and still oozing some unnamable liquid marred what must have once been a pretty face, and those gashes extended all the way down her naked body.

"I've already had a bit of **fun** with her Draco. Why don't you have yours?" he said mockingly. Draco didn't even want to think about what the Dark Lord would consider 'fun'.

_No. I can't do it. I **won't**. Hell, she's just seven!_

"Well…this is a surprise," hissed the Dark Lord.

"What do you mean my Lord?" asked Lucius from the back of the room.

"Did I permit you to speak Lucius? No matter. I've been listening to you young Malfoy, and you are of no use to me."

Draco had no time to say anything before he was bound by the coils of Nagini, whose tightening grip threatened to suffocate him.

Lucius remained standing where he was, watching as Voldemort circled Draco like a carrion bird. Now he had a choice to make as well.

"Well, well, well. Who would have guessed? Lucius, it seems you did a poor job raising him after all. Or perhaps it was Dumbledore's influence. Though I don't doubt you yet, I do hope that this goes smoothly," he cackled, stroking Nagini. "**Crucio!**"

Draco tried to keep silent, he tried to hold back his screams, but the fire that was eating him made it impossible. All the while, Voldemort was laughing and committing bits of random violence to Draco's body.

"**Finite. **And now Draco, you will watch Wormtail do your work for you."

The girl kept screaming. She wouldn't stop. And Voldemort tore out her vocal cords with a spell. After that, it was like she was just a doll, lifeless and still.

Wormtail didn't do only what the Dark Lord had required either. Animalistic sounds escaped him as he zipped open his pants and raped her unresponsive form. Blood and semen dripped down to the already tainted floor, mixing with years of dust.

And then he killed her. No quick end for the innocent whose name Draco didn't even know. Wormtail slit her wrists, stood, and walked out as a crimson stain pooled about her unseeing body.

"Now, what should be done with you young **Master Malfoy**," Voldemort jeered. "You are a beautiful little boy. It would be such a waste to miss this opportunity, don't you think?"

_No, I beg to differ._

"It seems that both Dumbledore and his little pet hero have…made an impression on you. What did it take Draco? Did that senile relic offer you power? Fame and glory? Did Potter make his way into your bed? Did he make you plead and moan in dark corners of the school?"

_You know what that's called? A fetish. You seem to have a problem with fetishes, only one of which is Potter._

"Oh dear, you're still trying to fight back. We'll fix that soon enough though, and then you'll be just as…compliant as your little girlfriend lying on the floor there. Is Nagini being a bit too rough with you? You look pale."

Draco did his best to glare back at Voldemort, though the sharp comments and ready banter that he had always possesed failed to make an appearance as Nagini's fangs pressed against his back.

_Shit I can't move at all! Why am I always on the wrong side of everything?_

Agonizingly slowly, Voldemort reached forward and grazed the skin of his cheeks, then violently gripped his chin as he leaned forward to tear at Draco's neck with his teeth.

_Damn it, why can't I move!_

"Do you **like** it Draco. I wouldn't be surprised," said Lucuis as he stepped out of the shadows. "You are a disgrace to the family. You don't deserve to carry the Malfoy name."

"Father!" he whimpered, trying to reach out to Lucius, and disgusted by the way he must look and sound. Malfoys were never weak.

"I think I might need a bit of time to show you **exactly** what that means Draco. Unless of course, you absolutely need him at the moment my Lord?"

"Go ahead Lucius. I look forward to the show."

A whip appeared in Lucius' hand and he unwound it carefully as Draco watched.

"I'm sure you can't have forgotten this."

_Would anyone like to enlighten me as to just what the fuck is going on!_

With a wave of his wand, Voldemort vanished Draco's robes and raised the immobile boy several feet in the air with arms and legs outstretched for greatest possible surface area.

"There, much better," laughed Voldemort as Nagini quietly slipped down to the floor.

With a crack, the whip flew through the air and tore a wet red trail across Draco's shoulders.

One hundred lashes, one thousand gashes from a silver topped cane. Ten thousand tears and a lifetime's worth of Voldemort's cackling later, part of Draco remained unbroken.

_Fuck. I can still feel the rest of my body. I thought by this time I should have gone numb, or passed out, or something! That's what all those trauma books lead you to believe. And I bet it's just me. Wonderful luck you have Draco Malfoy._

"Alas, I would love to see more of your work Lucius, but I must leave."

"Of course my Lord. Would you like to watch the finishing touches?"

_Oh, am I a cake now? A bit on the bloody side don't you think!  
__A bloody cake.  
__A bloody cake!  
__A bloody **cake**. Stop!  
__Bloody cake.  
__Bloody bloody cake. Stop that!  
__Bloody cake.  
__BLOODY CAKE!  
__**Bloody **cake…  
_…_Stop, please stop._

"Always Lucius. But I must insist on a bit of insurance," he hissed an order to Nagini who had been patiently waiting the entire evening.

She tensed and struck from the floor, sending crippling poison into Draco's arm and finally tasting that coveted pure wizard's blood. Oh how sweet was this particular specimen. How lovely he did scream. A pity that she couldn't eat him.

"Draco, stand up," Lucius said as he ended the levitating charm and dropped Draco.

"Aaugh! …I can't," he sobbed  
_You can fucking rot in hell._

"Stand!" Lucius shouted, lashing out with his cane, which was now all the more painful.

"Father…"

"Stand! **You** are not my son. You're a **disgrace**! A **failure**! Now GET UP!"

Ever so slowly did Draco rise, first on all fours, and then leaning against a wall for precious support as he stumbled and inched his way higher.

"Perhaps…" he gasped. "…but at least…I…am a Malfoy."

"**Avada Kedavra**."

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Woot! An all new and improved chapter 1!  
More yummy goodness for anyone who likes.  
Heh, and abit of torture. 

Please, review. Press the magic button! The magic button!


	2. About Draco

Ha ha ha ha ha! Chapter two is back. Enjoy!

**About Draco…

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**

Draco's lifeless body slumped to the floor, his blood seeping away like a plague reaching out for its next victim.

"Ahhh…" Voldemort sighed, "That was exquisite. I'll be sure to savor the moment for weeks to come. A pity I couldn't play with him a bit more, but you were so set on your mission. A lovely show none the less."

"…Thank you my Lord," said Lucius, though his eyes remained on the dead boy lying on the ground.

"Now Lucius, are you having second thoughts?" he said as though scolding a small child.

/sigh/  
"No Lord. I had only hoped he would have turned out better."

"Yes, a pity isn't it."

"Lord, if I may request a favor?"

Voldemort nodded, though his stance became a degree more tense.

"It would not do us any favors for word of Draco's death to get out and not have a proper burial. If you would kindly attack the manor this evening and destroy Draco's room in particular, his death would be explained and I would be put further from suspicion in death eater activity. Then of course, my actions will be better able to serve your purpose. Of course, there would be some…show involved."

"…"

"Lord?"

"An excellent idea Lucius. Though I feel something amiss," he hissed, trying to search the man's mind for that hidden thought he knew to be there.

"My apologies Lord, but I had become attached to the boy."

"Hmm, yes. That is to be expected. You must be punished none the less."

A short while later, Lucius was released from the Cruciatus curse and stiffly walked down the steps to the front gates of the house, levitating Draco's behind him. He then apparated away to the front of Malfoy manor where he was left to prepare for the upcoming attack. It wouldn't do any good to have those Ministry wizards coming across some of the more dubious artifacts he kept in the house.

* * *

The plan had gone successfully. No one suspected anything other than what Lucius and Narcissa had told the Ministy officials when they arrived, and Draco had been verified as completely dead. No soul, no heartbeat. Severus himself even verified the time of death to be within the range of the death eater attack, and attributed the many wounds to being in the direct path of the first surprise attack. He stated that the larger and slimmer lacerations were most likely caused by the effects of a spell, while the smaller gouges were the result of falling debris. When death eaters found him in the way, they merely killed him. 

Other than the stasis spell, only death eater magic could be found active within the last twenty-four hours in the house and surrounding area.

People still believed that Lucius was a death eater, but they were hard pressed to come up with a reason for the attack. Many thought he wouldn't have gone so far as to kill his own son, and certainly not wreck Malfoy Manor, yet others were doubtful.

The funeral ceremony was held the following on Manor grounds in the family graveyard. Narcissa was weeping and barely able to acknowledge the guests as they came in. The entire house felt the loss of Draco Malfoy, and every single person who visited saw how his parents mourned. Many were at loss of what to say when they somehow "accidentally" walked in on Lucius Malfoy crying. Malfoys never cried.

"Oh Narcissa!" Mrs. Parkinson said, eyes rimmed red from crying.

"M…Mrs. Ma…Malfoy," Pansy choked out, holding forth a bouquet of rare black roses for Draco's coffin.

The three women lapsed into sobs as they carried the elegant flowers to the open casket and placed them with the myriad of other whites and blacks. Draco was dressed in his best robes of a startling steel-blue under a black over-robe. It never failed to bring out his eyes, though now they only emphasized the ashen skin and lack of life.

"My dragon. My baby," Narcissa whispered as she fell to the floor, clutching the sides of the heavy, black lacquered coffin.

She had never been the perfect mother. Not even a good mother. But the fact remained that she still loved her dragon. A glassy eyed Lucius quietly appeared at her side to help her stand before getting one last look at his son as the casket was closed, four wizards lowering it into the soft ground.

There was surprisingly little ceremony that evening, with only some ministry official or other giving a short speech before Fudge stepped up to give his condolences to the Malfoy family. A final, thoughtful parting word from Dumbledore to honor Draco, and people were free to wander into a reception in the undamaged part of the manor or quietly take their leave. And most did leave, though there were still plenty of families staying. Many of them only faint acquaintances through house or reputation.

The children of a select handful of these families gathered in an empty room that Pansy led them to.

"Hello. I'm sure you know what this is about, and if you have anything you would like to contribute, please do so," said Pansy quietly as she stood at the velvet draped lectern.

"You might be surprised to know that even in Slytherin, one can have a true friend. No power climbing ladders, backstabbing, or sabotage. If you ever find a Slytherin friend, hang on to them…for as long as you live. No matter what that hat might say or the traits that the houses are built upon, you will never have a more loyal friend than a Slytherin. And there was something about Draco that brought that out in us as well. The rest of the houses think we care for nothing but power. I give them Draco Malfoy.

I give them a leader with all the traits that every single other house claims to posses.  
I give them someone with as many problems and worries as they do.  
I give them a human being that has made mistakes and brilliant discoveries.

I give them Draco Lucius Malfoy, and only silence will answer. They don't see behind the costumes and sneers. They could never bring themselves to understand a Slytherin. Where do the dregs of the school go to?  
-Oh, that must be Slytherin you're talking about. They're all the same.-  
No. And anyone who thinks that should never have come to Hogwarts in the first place. Draco knew that. He rescued me from my own little world and the one that the brainwashed populace of the house was trying to force on me.

To Draco Malfoy, my dearest friend and savior. I will miss you."

Pansy stepped away from the lectern and sat in the nearest chair, her eyes glimmering with unshed tears. Crabbe and Goyle slowly walked up to have their say, many incredulous gazes following them.

"Well, I don't think any of you have guessed we can speak in full sentences if we've played our act properly," said Crabbe.  
"But here we are, and we dedicate the best thing we can think of to Draco," said Goyle.  
"Our friend, we've broken our silence."

As the two of them were met with thoughtful and stunned expressions, Blaise Zabini moved forward.

"I think Draco was one of the few we could count on. None of you, aside from a handful of exceptions, know me for more than a face and a name. Well here I am to tell you that by the one person I thought most likely to never glance at me, I was noticed. No matter who you were, you were never overlooked by Draco. He knows every single person in Slytherin, whether he favors them or not.  
To Draco, for noticing."

Blaise walked away from the lectern, and those present spent a moment in silence for the leader they lost.

* * *

Within a day, Narcissa was ill from lack of food and sleep and Lucius wouldn't come out of his study except for meals and to use the facilities. Of course that didn't mean the sole area you would think of as a study. He liked to add the dungeons and various hidden tunnels to his idea of a "study". 

"Why has it taken this long? Why in all…damn that bastard! Draco….

No, I need Severus. Of all God damn things, **I** need help!"

/hmh/  
_How pathetic, I require aid. There is almost nothing greater to hate. But I need him all the same. …Can he be trusted? Even if he has allied himself with…Dumbledore, he plays his hands to the utmost benefit. What more would you expect from a Slytherin? And there lies the problem: how will Severus react?_

No matter the cost, Lucius Malfoy no longer had any source to turn to and no time in which to stew, so he summoned for Snape on the pretence of seeing to his wife's health.

"Good afternoon Lucius, and now will you please allow me to see Narcissa. I have work to do," he said curtly, every line of his behavior showing impatience and perhaps even agitation.  
_It would not do to let Lucius no how affected I am by…this situation. No. **Never** the all faithful Malfoy Senior. Ha, had I said any more to him just now, I believe I may have begun shouting. And the Dark Lord boasted of his treatment of Draco. Oh yes, some of us know now, and in a few moments, perhaps Dumbledore will as well._

"…This isn't entirely the purpose of your visit," Lucius said, slightly averting his gaze before holding Severus in a sharp stare, like two cornered predators facing off.

"Well, what **is** it then," growled Snape as he broke the angry stillness that had been constructed in the moment of silence.

"…"

"If you have nothing more to say to me then I will leave," he rasped, making for the hearth and wasting no time with formalities.

With one last effort to quell his pride, Lucius hissed, "…please."

That one word shook Snape through to his bones, and for a moment, he simply stood, one foot raised as to step into the fireplace. But of course that would never last. He turned ever so slowly as to reassess the situation.

_Malfoy's never say "please". They may resort to the basest of trickery and flattery, but they **never** plead.  
_"What is it that you wish of me," he said, rightly cautious. Whatever Lucius wanted, it was something of utterly **extreme** importance.

"This may take a bit of explaining… If you accompany me to the study, perhaps we could be more comfortable?"

Of course, having been to Malfoy manor on more than one occasion, Snape wasn't about to think they would have a quiet drink in the study and discuss whatever this problem was in what most people considered comfort.

"…Should I bring my coat?" he queried after a slight pause.

"Not necessary."

"Very well then."

A short while later, Severus Snape had no idea where they were situated inside Malfoy manor. Well, he did feel as though he vaguely recognized a particular dark artifact or torture device here and there, but it would never be much help if he somehow got lost. Not that Snape would **ever** get lost, but even the excellent sense of direction he had cultivated within the bowels of Hogwarts was thrown off by the senior Malfoy's seemingly pointless meandering.

"Lucius, I would like an explanation. And soon."

"Ah yes, I haven't told you anything yet, have I," he said, and it was quite obvious that he didn't mean for it to be anything remotely resembling a question.

_What is the prick hiding this time? I have much more important business to attend to by the looks of it._

"Where to begin… I'm sure you've heard the/ahem/ shall I say full account of what occurred to Draco."

Serverus didn't answer.

"Well, that seems to be the 'problem' I am encountering at the moment," he said without a hint of agitation as they walked into an enormous circular room.

Bottles of every variety full of healing and poison, amulets, bandages, and even muggle equipment shared the shelves that covered every inch of the wall with fascinating books on disease, pain, and any other subject imaginable concerning the workings of a human body. Faintly glowing lights were arranged in the walls so that even their sparse illumination filled the entire room. Cauldrons of stewing potions hissed or bubbled and ancient relics with mysterious pasts and unknown powers were held upon raised pedestals of crystal. But what grabbed Severus' attention was the ancient stone table in the center of the room. It was placed inside of a pentacle chiseled into the stone floor, and the edges were flowing with ancient magic in long forgotten tongues. Somehow the body of Draco Malfoy was lying comfortably in the air, several inches above the table.

Draco looked ethereal, like a pale marble statue that was very nearly alive. That very nearly was only hampered by the fact that he was deadly still. His wounds bled, the blood fell, and yet there was something very dead about him. Something lost in this morbid travesty. Perhaps the fact that he didn't seem to be breathing added to the atmosphere.

"Explain yourself," Snape hissed, anger and surprise flowing over into his words.

"…He's not dead Severus."

Snape was utterly stunned. Nothing else could be said for the man now frozen in the doorway staring at the boy he thought was dead until that moment, wondering if his godson could still possibly be alive.

"What have you done Lucius? What in God's name have you done?"

* * *

Well, it's shorter, but you finally get a chapter.  
Not yet beta'd so there may be some inconsistency. 

Like it? Hate it? Review and feed a starving writer.


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